Rape and Sexual Assault

Position on Rape and Sexual Assault

The Gloucester Police Department understands that rape and sexual assault are serious problems affecting many people, male and female, in Gloucester and the surrounding communities. The Gloucester Police Department, along with the North Shore Rape Crisis Center, take this problem seriously and work closely together to respond to rape and sexual assault, thoroughly investigate these crimes, and provide information and support to survivors.

Statistics

In Massachusetts, one in two women, and one in four men, will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual attention, contact, or activity. Sexual violence violates a person’s trust, autonomy, and feeling of safety.

Sexual assault may involve one or more persons who coerce, manipulate, pressure, threaten, or force another person into acts of sexual activity that are against the person’s will or without consent due to age, illness, physical or cognitive disability, being unconscious, or the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Sexual assault is a term covering a wide range of unwanted sexual contacts and behaviors including sexual abuse, rape, attempted rape, incest, exhibitionism, voyeurism, obscene phone calls, fondling, and sexual harassment. Several terms such as sexual assault, rape, drug or alcohol facilitated sexual assault, and date rape have both legal and societal meanings.

North Shore Rape Crisis Center (NSRCC)

NSRCC serves all sexual assault survivors ages 12 and older and the significant others of sexual assault survivors of all ages in 27 cities and towns on the North Shore. NSRCC provides a 24-hour hotline, in-person counseling, support groups, medical advocacy, assistance with obtaining protective orders, assistance and support with reporting to the police and dealing with the criminal justice system, and referrals.